Captain America #16.NOW Review

Jet Black is a pretty cool character. If you were a fan of the Dimension Z storyline from last year, you'll enjoy this issue as it's tied heavy to those events. It's a solid read that does some heavy character work on Jet, which is a good thing. Of course, it also doesn't feature Captain America, at all, which could be seen as a problem for a comic that is supposed to be a great jumping on point for new readers. It moves a little slow at times, and spends too long on some throwaway moments, but Captain America #16.NOW is still a worthy read.

Rick Remender is taking the slow-burn approach to his Cap run. Everything he introduced in the first issue is still at play here, with Zola's legacy factoring heavily into upcoming events. Jet Black can't escape her tortured upbringing, and it's clear she is not one-hundred percent free of Zola's influence. She's powerful, angry and running through the streets of New York. Probably not a good combination. As usual, it's Remender's character exploration that shines through and carries the issue. It's just a pleasure to spend time in the world he is building.

Pascal Alxie steps in on art in this issue and it's a mixed bag. The world looks great as Alxie renders it in stunning detail. The evil characters look superb, as well. This issue has one of the best looking Red Skulls ever. There's so much menace and horror in the details, the evil practically oozes off the page. The problem is, the regular characters look just as menacing. Jet has too many lines on her face; she's often covered in scratchy shading. It also appears that Alxie drew Jet mostly nude and that Marvel decided to just color her in as if she were wearing tights. It's distracting, to say the least.